Direction is the third studio album by American pop punk band the Starting Line, released on July 31, 2007 through Virgin Records.

Influenced by the work of James Brown, the Starting Line's vocalist and bassist Kenny Vasoli wrote music around simple grooves instead of the uptempo style of the band's earlier material.

The album sold 20,000 first-week copies in the US, charting at number 30 on the Billboard 200, and received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with some complimenting the Starting Line's growth and the catchy songs.

Geffen Records were unhappy with the demos the Starting Line submitted for their second studio album, telling them to restart the writing process, preventing the band from touring for a year.

[3] Shortly after its release, Geffen de-prioritized the album and despite the Starting Line's increasing popularity, a lack of promotion for the lead single.

[15] Watts wanted to break away from their pop punk sound, incorporating delay-driven parts, hammer-ons, pull-offs, complex harmonies, and breakdowns similar to the work of Shudder to Think.

[19] "Direction" includes elements of southern rock, with its distorted guitar work and pounding drums; the song discusses the themes of growing up and personal development.

[11][20] The uptempo pop punk track "21" recalls the Based on a True Story song "Bedroom Talk" and was compared to the music of Yellowcard.

The band became stuck on the chorus section and bought a Martin DX1 guitar in an attempt to complete the song, which they succeeded in doing after two days of thinking it over.

[15] Laura Marie Brown of Spin said the lyrics detail "an image of a beautiful escape-turned-shipwreck and two lovers weathering the storm of poor timing".

[37] The Starting Line appeared at the Soundwave Festival in Australia, in February 2008, before returning to the US for a headlining tour in March and April, during which they were supported by Bayside, Four Year Strong, and Steel Train.

The music sounds natural while the songs contain enough to be instantly satisfying yet hold back enough to ensure rewarding repeat listens.

"[19] AllMusic reviewer William Ruhlmann noted that while it retained the pop punk sound of the band's past releases, the album came across as slightly more "sophisticated in certain ways, particularly in rhythmic terms".

[17] In a review for Alternative Press, Jonah Bayer found that while Vasoli lacks "the political prowess of Billie Joe Armstrong or the literary knowledge of Dustin Kensrue", he and the other members "prove they’re more than capable of crafting flawless pop-punk songs that should appeal to anyone with a pulse".

[24] The Aquarian Weekly writer Courtney Muir said the "melody remains thick and the overall tune is catchy" throughout Direction, referring to it as "a definite redemption for the band that has come a long way".

Club's Aaron Burgess said: "Vasoli now sounds less concerned with impressing little girls and more interested in connecting with their older siblings as a legitimate artist.

[44] Punk News staff member Tyler Barrett said "direction seems to be exactly what The Starting Line is lacking in their latest release" and that despite having "a handful of enjoyable rock and pop-punk tracks", the album includes "too many struggling grabs that come up empty for it to be considered the mature and developed achievement it was meant to be".